Disclaimer: As always, I do not own this fabulous, work known as Alice in Wonderland, the copy write ran out in 1910.I think. I still hoping to get this baby published.
Sorry I have been on hiatus for so long, busy with school and stuff. Been looking up information on the Alice movie, and Marilyn Manson's Phantasmagoria, visions of Lewis Carroll also a new movie. To make matters even better for me my birthday is April 4, a day growing ever nearer and the local children's theater is doing Alice in Wonderland. My collections grown quite a bit as well, a have a new Cheshire Cat plushie that when you press his paw he giggles and wiggles. I like showing my cats it and setting it off, they run for the hills. I have had the worst case of writers block this side of the vale of tears. With hope, I am going to order a copy of the Looking Glass Wars from a company in Britain that ships over seas. I am sad that both the book and the comic Hatter M have yet to come out in the states. Anyway, I am introducing a new weapon of the Queen's, the jesters and the Jabberwocky makes his first appearance.
The walls started to shake after the reflection spoke those final words and a thunderous roar ripped through the castle. "Check mate." the dark Hatter said, as he started to vanish much like the Cheshire cat did before starting with his feet then ending with that wicked grin. Another tremor shook the foundations sending pieces of stone material crashing to the floor. Alice's eyes darted around as she looked for a place to run for cover only to see a trembling Hatter already running in the direction they had come from
"What's going on?" she screeched over the noise, clasping for the Mad Hatter's hand as they ran, doing her best to keep up with his long legged strides. He did not answer her, his eyes straight a head as he lead Alice through the falling stones, and the sudden lava geysers. Then there was another deafening bellow, as a single crack started to race after the pair.
She could hearing the roaring grow louder as Hatter charged a head could, but she knew that they could not out race what ever beast was nipping at their heels. Then a shadow creature rose out of the depths, its red eyes glow with hatred and blood lust. Hatter's face turned ashy with fear as the beast rose its dark wings blocking out the light. Screeching wraiths swarmed around them, as the shadow beast's coils seemed to blanket the walls, surrounding both Alice and Hatter in complete darkness as they descended in to the shadows.
The hissing of steam and the wail of the wraiths pierced the air, and even in the darkness Alice could see the white clouds of mist and feel the warmth as she rushed passed. "Hatter, where are we?" she called out, hoping he could hear her even over the noise. Before he had a chance to answer another monstrous howl ripped through the darkness, this one sounding a little more human and Alice could all most make out what sounded like "Traitor!" along the stone walls what seemed to be rubies flashed in agreement. A new sound now joined in the chorus of roars, wails and hissing, the rushing of wind. Alice's dress ballooned around her causing her descent to slow ever so slightly.
"Alice?" Hatter called out, as he feet touched what seemed to be solid ground. Around him flickering candles lite up the hollow chamber illuminating a path of stone platforms.
"I'm here." she answered timidly, as she too landed. The bellowing had stopped, as well as the moans. The steams hiss still split the air, but the noise was now inaudible. Warm air came rushing around the platform they were standing on, blasting back Alice's hair as she looked over the edge. "Where ever here is." she added, as she stood back up.
"I wish I could answer that one," Hatter said, looking up at the crack they had fallen through, " and I don't even know how to get out of here."
"Like fallen angels you descended into darkness," the Cheshire Cat's suspended grin said, " now with a leap of faith you must learn to ride a new wind."
Alice seemed to ponder these words for a moment as she approached the edge of the platform. As her toes touched the open air, she leaned forward diving in to the warm up drafts. Hatter turned just in time to see her slip into the darkness, but as he watched in horror, fearing that he had again lost his love, the girl was rocketed up ward and on to the next platform.
"Jump Hatter!" Alice yelled across, watching as the Mad Hatter took a similar leap, and was caught in the rising gust. As he landed a soft tic tic noise echoed through the crevice, followed by the sound of steel being dragged against stone that was accurate to nails being dragged along a slate. A low cruel laughter seemed to radiate from the walls as they rushed forward, bridging each cleft, nipping at the couple's heels as they approached the final projection protruding from the wall.
After Hatter's boots touched the ledge, the ticking began to grow louder until it seemed to come from the ceiling its self. His eyes flickered up ward as he searched for the origin of the sound, but was able to see what the shadows held hidden. "We need more light." Alice whispered, and hoping that what ever had lite the room before would grace them with another answer. As it had before candles suddenly flickered to life, now banishing all the shadows from the room and revealing a long tunnel lite with candles. Hatter again craned his neck to inspect the mysterious clatter that had dogged them from the beginning, and what he saw made his insides turn to icy with fear.
Two horrible twisted creatures clung to the ceiling by bladed feet and hand, and like the marionettes, they had masked faces. Sheets of steel covered their clockwork filled chest. Limbs were mismatched and stitched to the bodies. A collar held the head in place on the neck of the beast, protruding from the brace were two curved arms that ended spikes that impaled both sides of the head. Like spiders, they scuttled along the rocky walls their blades making a frantic tic tic sound as the moved.
"Hatter," Alice called out, " what are those things?"
"Advanced automatons," he answered, still not taking his eyes off the strange creatures, " I called them jesters."
Then upon hearing their names, the jesters swung down, kicking out their bladed feet nicking Hatter's arm with their wicked blades. Know that they were in grave danger Alice grabbed Hatter's hand racing down the tunnel as fast as her tiny feet could carry her. Behind her Alice could still hear the frantic clatter of the jesters closing in behind them, and see the small sparks that would rise in to the air everytime one took a step on its rickety bladed feet. The spark suddenly gave her a flash of inspiration and a wicked grin crossed her young face. Thinking fast, she tossed a jack grenade on to the ground, not even pausing to watch as the tiny handle spun round and the familiar tune filled the small tunnel.
Tic, ticAround the mulberry bush…
Tic, tic
The monkey chased the weasel…
Tic, tic
The monkey though it was in fun…
Tic, tic
"Boom goes the weasel." Hatter finished, a tone of amusement in his voice as the grenade went off shaking lose stones from the ceiling. The two jesters looked up a strange clattering noise rising in their throats as they looked up at the ceiling in horror, only to be crushed by a hurricane of falling debris and fire. With out a second glance, Alice began to walk down the rocky tunnel Hatter in tow. As they passed, the candles extinguished them selves one by one, descending the path already travel once again in to darkness. There was little to excite the senses with in the cave, expect for a few flicker candles or the steam that seems to hiss perpetual like a nest of angry vipers framed by the soft thud of the pairs shoes as they hit the rocky ground.
"Another familiar face wouldn't be unwelcome," Alice whispered, clutch her apron in her free hand, " only if they were allies of course."
"Now a days that would be hard to find," Hatter replied, " everyone you knew threw your books is either dead, imprisoned or under the queen's spell."
"I've learned that lesson the hard way while traveling through this wretched place." Alice retorted.
"I suppose experience teaches best, learn by doing, and similar cliches have merit then," Hatter said, " take their advice if you will but it has never really done me much good."
"I don't really believe it does anyone much good." Alice agreed, pushing her way further down the tunnel, keeping a keen eye and blade out in case of any danger. The silence was nearly deafening, and the hissing steam and thudding footsteps did little to comfort her frantic mind. Silently she prayed for light and noise, something to blot out the torture she was going through now.
" I never really was good at learning from my mistakes," Hatter started, his voice breaking the silence, " frustrated the hell out of my tutors, I would always seem to repeat my errors a millions times before they were able to beat the right answers into my head."
"Tutors?" Alice repeated, a little stunned by this, " you were taught with the heart children?"
"My cousins?" Hatter said, tilting his head to one side, " oh yes. I'm a bastard child, but I still have royal blood within me, no matter how impure."
He laughed a little before going on, " I had to have a proper education in case I had to merry one of my girl cousins," he said, " that would only happen if one of the other noble family's did not have a children."
"So you lucked out," Alice replied, a small grin appearing on her lips, " you probably got to learn about something that interested you, even if you did have to marry one of the girls."
"Hardly, they were all as ugly a toads, and they had the temperament of their mother, all her kids did" Hatter said, "except Jack, he was the only sane one in the brood. He would have been the new ruler if his mother had not put him on the block."
"It's hard to lose your best friend," Alice said, " I can remember my aunt clearly, she was my best friend. My mother was her younger sister, Edith, and she never really approved of her spending time with me."
"Why not?"
"Well this is before she went mad," Alice whisper, calling on her memories the best she could, " she was like Mr. Dodgson, she preferred children to adults, and she would always play games with us and take us on walks."
Hatter though about this for a moment, recalling the first time he had met the original Alice. A small smile crept up on his lips, " I wasn't exactly nice to her when we first met," he said, " Hare and Dormouse weren't either. Well Hare was not, Dormouse was mostly sleeping on the table. She wasn't very amused by our party."
"She ran out didn't she?" Alice asked, " well that's what the book said."
"Book?" Hatter questioned, a little confused.
"After her trips to Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Mr. Dodgson wrote them down for her," Alice told him still pulling Hatter down the tunnel, " and had them both published."
"So that explains why the imagination activity has increased," Hatter said, "that's what created this place children's imagination and adult madness. Each keeping the other in prefect balance."
"Not so much now." Alice finished, as they walked out in to what appeared to be a large arena. The dim Wonderland sun hung overhead lite the area, and eliminated the need for the last batch of candles which was extinguish by a strong gust of wind. The cobbled stone covered ground had what looked like claw marks crisscrossing the ground and another large open trench that dropped down into a lava pit. The wind rushed around the circular area blessing air with a smell of rotten eggs.
"Sulfer," Hatter whispered, cover his nose and mouth, "there shouldn't be sulfer here, unless…Alice we have to leave now!"
"Why?" she asked her voice trembling, "who or what is here?"
The Cheshire Cat appeared, wrapping his skeletal frame around Alice's legs, "The Queen's Guardian of course," he said, with a slight purr in his feline voice, " he rarely leaves his filthy lair, unless there is something new to play with."
"The Red Queen's Guardian?"
"The Jabberwocky," the cat said, as he began to vanish, " beware the Jabberwocky my children for it has more then jaws that bite and claws that catch."
As if on cue, a deafening bellow split the air as a large beast rose out of the ground. It had jet black feather wings, viscous silver claws that left deep dents in the stone. Thick black feathers coated the underbelly of the beast as its long serpentine body started to rise out the lava pits. Four red eyes glowed with rage as the Jabberwocky shook its mighty head which was cover in what looked like a black bone mask, and six horn, one protruding from its snot, one from its forehead and four from its skull. It darted it serpent like tongue out of its heavily fanged mouth as if tasting the air for prey.
"You've come back Hatter," the creature roared, its voice rumbling like thunder, "I didn't think you were fool enough to bringing your self down here."
"I fear you to much to come willingly."
The Jabberwocky laughed, and seemed to posse a wicked and malice filled smile as it turned to Alice. " And you, the selfish misbegotten and unnatural child! Your presence here is not tolerated!" the beast roared again this time with pure rage, " this is not your world! This world is for adults; raw, well-ordered, ruthless, careening on the jagged edges of reality. Dreamers like you are not welcome here!"
With that, the Jabberwocky lunged at the pair, snapping its jaws. Alice darted out the way, but barely missed being impaled on the glinting claws. Hatter follow suite darting around the beast like a gnat, drop jittering jacks and grenades everytime the creature tired to attack him with either tooth or nail. Jacks clung to the black feathers of its wing and belly like great silver burrs. Blood splattered the ground under the Jabberwock, staining both the stones and the creature a ruddy color. Seeing it as its only weak point, Alice and Hatter would the attack the burning red eyes of the beast in hopes of blinding it and bringing it to knees.
"Children need to learn not to play with fire!' the Jabberwock roar, then inhaled deeply. Hatter and Alice could see the sparks of fire starting to spew from its as in suddenly released its breath, trapping them behind a domino sheild as a torrent of fire surrounded the area. As prepared to launch another wave of fire, Hatter saw what appeared to be a charred skeleton of a card guard behind them, locked in its hands a blunderbuss. " Alice, when I say now drop the sheild." he barked, grabbing the gun and aiming at the firing spewing terror.
"NOW!"
With that the sheild was dropped, and Alice dove to the ground as the blunderbuss was fired, shattering the air with a loud crack. The bullet struck the Jabberwock's chest with such force, that it sent the beast reeling backwards. Blood began to pour from its wounds and jaws as it began to sway.
"I…can't… be… beaten." The Jabberwocky heaved, as it rocked back and forth on the edge of the arena, but before it could prevent its self from tumbling into the lava below Hatter fired the blunderbuss again. The second blast was all the creature could take before it was sent over the edge and plunging in to the lava pit below.
"So much for the mighty Jabberwock." Hatter said, dropping the blunderbuss on the ground as he started to walk towards a newly opened entrance. Alice started to follow him, stopping only briefly to see what laid a head. In the distance she could see what appeared to be a castle, and a maze of bushes that surrounded its keep.
"It won't be long now, your highness," Alice said bitterly as she started towards the exit, " not long now."